70 Things I’ve Learned From Writing 1000 Blog PostsGeraldine is one of those people who consistently undersells herself, so I can't help but think she's learned way more useful things over her last 1000 blog posts than just 70, but we'll start with this. Why? Because it's crammed with some really good tips. I love #18, #23, #29, #37, #39, #44, #52, #53, #55, #59, #65, #68…

Oh, just read the whole damned thing, would you?

Italy Breaks Your HeartItalophiles should really read this whole beautiful & sad essay by Frank Bruni on modern Italy, but here's a sample:

Italy is what happens when a country knows full well what its problems are but can't summon the discipline and will to fix them. It's what happens when political dysfunction grinds on and on and good governance becomes a mirage, a myth, a joke. Italy coasts on phenomenal blessings rather than building on them and loses traction in a global economy with more driven competitors. Sound familiar? There's so much beauty and promise here, and so much waste. Italy breaks your heart.

Slaves of the Internet, Unite!Excellent treatise on not doing work for free. Again, read the whole thing – particularly if you're someone who works in a creative field or online or both – but, for your excerpting pleasure:

I know there's no point in demanding that businesspeople pay artists for their work, any more than there is politely asking stink bugs or rhinoviruses to quit it already. It's their job to be rapacious and shameless. But they can get away with paying nothing only for the same reason so many sleazy guys keep trying to pick up women by insulting them: because it keeps working on someone. There is a bottomless supply of ambitious young artists in all media who believe the line about exposure, or who are simply so thrilled at the prospect of publication that they're happy to do it free of charge.

Beneath the Streets, Lost CitiesI expect workers in, say, Rome to bump into some ancient palazzo or latrine every time they break ground on a new subway line, sure. But in California? I wasn't expecting that.